Screenplay: The Valiant
by Jack Bullions
Summary: Unfinished. Content DSV. Based on several events in the PC game. The story chronicles the life of Phillipe, a Paladin, from birth to the end, and his descent into moral ambiguity. Changes to history needed for plot to mesh.



    THE VALIANT
    by
    Jack Bullions
    FADE IN:
    FROM THE BLACK
    The darkness gradually gives way to a light. A light from a
    sourceless flame. MAIN TITLES ROLL over a series of medieval
    WOODCUTS. SINISTER IMAGERY -- monsters, demons, dragons,
    epic battles -- DISSOLVING into one another, then we...
    CUT TO:
    A BLIND AND FERAL WHITENESS
    ... glacial desert... howling winds...
    We HEAR TINKLING CHIMES. With heavy CRUNCHING of SNOW, a
    LONE FIGURE crests a snow dune. Its body adorned in lavish
    vestments over a suit of steel armor.
    CLOSE-UP OF THE MAN, an Erudite to be exact, a black man,
    late 40s, stature regal and proud. A facial scar runs up
    along the left side of his cheek and just under the eye.
    Meet INTE AKERA. He stops, and takes in the scenery.
    Behind him, a long train of SUPPLY MULES guided by his
    COMPANIONS appear. A COMPANY OF SIX, in respective body
    armor, all armed to the teeth, followed by a vanguard (twenty
    in all) of sword-wielding Erudite PALADINS.
    TEARIS THEX, a High Elf Lord, leaves the group, and moves to
    Inte's side. He, too, looks out with him. Keen eyes stare
    at the encroaching terrain.
    TEARIS' POV: The frozen expanse of the Permafrost ice shelf.
    A glare of WHITE LIGHT on the horizon edge. Tearis seems
    lost at the beauty of the frozen world.
    INTE (V.O.)
    Ice Blink, the barbarians call it.
    Tearis snaps back to reality.
    INTE (CONT'D)
    Light reflects from the ice shelf. It
    appears no more than four miles away at
    most, but its nearer forty than four.
    The air of Permafrost can be very
    deceptive.
    TEARIS
    In the years I have walked this earth, I
    have never seen so much... white.
    Inte stares at his pale complexion, with a slight grin.
    ORION - the colorful Elven Bard - blows into a tiny ocarina,
    and hums quietly as he glances at the two.
    ORION
    Ahh... danger lurks from every corner...
    frightening, lurid notions can only be
    thought as the Company marches to their
    doom...
    GLONG - the veteran Dwarf, mass of muscle and brawn, grumbles
    beside him.
    GLONG
    Change yer tunes, lad, or ye be findin
    yer pipes from the bottom of the
    Timorous!
    ORION
    I'll yank your white beard out by its
    roots if you even try.
    Ahead of Inte, a large powerful man dressed in crude garments
    made of animal hide, a BARBARIAN SCOUT, races up to the
    company. Every inch of his face is covered with ritual
    scarification patterns and tribal tattoos. He SHOUTS
    something vigorously in his native tongue.
    BARBARIAN SCOUT
    (Barbaric language)
    "Kelas! Mer colek de Vukar!"
    The Barbarian Scout points away with his finger.
    Tearis narrows his eyes. Turns to one of their traveling
    companions.
    TEARIS
    What did he say?
    He looks to --
    MARKUS - a robed-civilian, a wizard, lean, clutching an
    ornate grimoire.
    MARKUS
    He has found the necromancer's lair.
    The horses WHINNY, worried by something nearby. SHEET-
    LIGHTNING whites out the sky, clouds RUMBLE against the
    earth.
    Inte looks back at his troupe, motions them to continue on.
    AN ANGLE ABOVE, LOOKING DOWN. The company trek purposefully
    up the snowy wasteland. Something dark prowls past IMMEDIATE
    FOREGROUND. GROWLS inhumanely...
    EXT. CREVICE APPROACH - DAY
    The horses BUCK and REAR as they climb a hill.
    ERUDITE PALADIN #1
    Quellious have mercy!
    THEIR P.O.V. A PAIR OF GROTESQUE STONE EFFIGIES dominate the
    top of the hill, towering over the company. Human-shaped, 30
    feet tall. Each face carved with CONTORTED expressions of
    pain and terror.
    INTE
    (solemnly)
    I have seen this before.
    TEARIS
    Where?
    MARKUS
    In the darkest chasms of our dreams
    perhaps...
    INTE
    Paineel, city of heretics.
    MARKUS
    They are one and the same.
    As the troupe continue forward, we CRANE UP BEHIND THEM.
    Half a mile away, the peaks of Everfrost mountains looms
    ominously. Dark THUNDER CLOUDS roll supernaturally across
    the sky.
    EXT. MOUTH ENTRANCE - MIRAGUL'S LAIR - DAY
    Near the base of the mountain range --
    The horses stop abruptly, nervous, before a rocky crevice in
    the hard-pack ice. None of the animals dare to move any
    closer.
    Inte leaves the group, unsheathes a plain-looking sword from
    his belt. As he does --
    IT TRANSFORMS -- Morphing into the exact duplicate of the
    golden sword which we recognize from the Everquest world.
    Awe and astonishment flash across the Erudite Paladins'
    faces.
    INTE
    When I destroy Miragul with this blade,
    it will be the last time the sword will
    ever be drawn by this hand.
    The Companions stare covetously at the weapon.
    GLONG
    The Fiery Avenger...
    TEARIS
    Sacrosanct. It is said the sword was
    forged during the Age of Blood...
    tempered by the tears of all races.
    MARKUS
    ... And also from the steel which
    arrived from the hands of a God?
    Inte shrugs, perhaps a little annoyed.
    INTE
    The origins are unimportant. Only its
    power counts this day. Orion, tether
    the animals.
    The mountain rises above, a portent of doom. Lightning
    FLARES as Inte drops into the crevice.
    CUT TO:
    INT. ICE CAVERN - MIRAGUL'S LAIR - DAY
    Boots ECHO on stone as the group enters the cavern.
    Dark in here, except where the sunlight penetrates the thick,
    glassy ice walls. The silhouettes of the Erudites stark
    against the glistening cavern.
    They look down into the long corridor that drives upwards
    into the darkness beyond.
    MARKUS
    A light is in order perhaps?
    Inte raises the Fiery Avenger before them, then a BRILLIANT
    FLARE erupts along the length of the blade, illuminating
    their stunned faces.
    The Barbarian Scout strikes a flint, and his TORCH CATCHES
    FIRE. Inte leads them in.
    INT. ENTRANCE - MIRAGUL'S LAIR - EVENING
    The Fiery Avenger comes through first, then Inte. This deep
    in, the air is warmer, and water PLINK-PLONKS from the dank
    archways all around.
    More STONE EFFIGIES of tortured expressions, spaced in a
    semi-circle, stand before them, arms-stretched, as if
    welcoming them. Behind, a wide staircase spirals into
    darkness above.
    The FAINT STRAINS of a CHANT -- like SOLEMN BENDICTINE --
    intrude.
    TEARIS
    You hear...?
    MARKUS
    Yes. Master Akera?
    Inte moves around the room. The saffron glow from the Fiery
    Avenger highlights diabolic imagery and hieroglyphics on the
    walls and statues. The Barbarian Scout recoils in shock.
    BARBARIAN SCOUT
    (Barbaric language)
    "De Halas..."
    He turns to Markus, mutters a few words we can't quite hear.
    Tearis moves to an effigy, stares, scrutinizing the SYMBOLS.
    TEARIS
    The accursed language of the Teir'Dal.
    INTE
    Neriak. Seven years past. I tracked
    Miragul to the Dark Elven city.
    (beat, listening to the chant)
    Evil is at hand...
    ORION
    Is it true you were there to witness the
    pact between Miragul and the God of Hate
    himself?
    INTE
    Yes. We share a gift, to move freely
    between the planes. In exchange for his
    services, Innoruuk made his body and
    soul immortal, as Quellious did for me.
    Tearis notices a hint of scorn in the voice. Inte moves
    around the statue.
    INTE (CONT'D.)
    It was in Hate we last fought. Innoruuk
    intervened, and in the confusion, I lost
    track of him. Time and time again, he
    runs from me. No more. Tonight, I will
    finish this.
    TEARIS
    All of us, Inte. We will finish this
    together. The scars of Innoruuk run
    deep into our world. It was he who
    divided my people...
    GLONG
    And brought ruins to the Butcherblock
    Clans! Enough talk! Our journey has
    gone on for ages and me axe be ever
    ready to split this dog in two!
    Inte nods, looks over his shoulder, sees Markus and the
    Barbarian Scout whispering to each other.
    INTE
    Markus.
    Markus nods to the Barbarian Scout, moves to Inte and Reklon.
    MARKUS
    Our scout proclaims this is as far as he
    will take us.
    INTE
    (nodding)
    Fine. Pay him the rest and we will be
    off. How much time?
    Markus opens up his grimoire, releasing --
    A BURST OF LIGHT -- and an illusion of an orrery -- a
    mechanical device that shows the motion of the planets around
    their suns -- appears. All eyes are intent on a BRILLIANT
    SMALL BALL OF ICE, the comet, moving gradually across space.
    MARKUS
    A matter of minutes.
    INTE
    The timing must be precise. When he
    opens the portal to Hate, we attack, and
    redirect the gateway. His fate will be
    sealed.
    A VERTICLE ANGLE ON INTE, HIGH ABOVE. The CHANT stops.
    Eerie SILENCE. We HEAR a STEADY THUMP... THUMP. The Erudite
    Paladins draw their swords as one, turn to the staircase,
    just as --
    Something PUNCHES THROUGH the darkness, BOUNCES down the
    steps. It comes to a halt at the Barbarian's feet... a dyed-
    red leather ball. He bends --
    INTE
    STOP!
    Too late. The Barbarian picks it up. There is a MEDIEVAL
    GRINNING SUN embroidered in gold filigree on one side. The
    Erudite Paladins look at him. He turns it to see the other
    side --
    SIZZLES and MELTS, maggots and yellow bile pouring forth into
    his hand. It multiplies exponentially, spilling up along his
    arm in a second like a cancer. He turns, SCREAMING to the
    others --
    TEARIS
    Back... stay back!
    The Barbarian lurches for them, his entire body consumed now.
    He stumbles, falls to the floor, EXPLODING into a mass of
    scarab beetles that scurry past their feet for the corners of
    the room. Markus slams shut the book, his mouth agape.
    CACKLING from above. The company look up to see a SMALL RED
    GARGOYLE duck back over a high balcony.
    ORION
    Up there... we must go.
    INT. SPIRAL STAIRWAY - MIRAGUL'S LAIR - EVENING
    Winds MOAN. The company cautiously ascend the stairway,
    sword and shields in ready. Orion peeks over the stair
    edge... a straight drop, a couple of hundred feet... Orion
    shudders as does many of the Paladins.
    Inte looks over to Tearis.
    INTE
    You told me you have a daughter.
    TEARIS
    Yes, Firiona.
    INTE
    Tell me about her.
    A moment of silence as the continue their climb.
    TIGHT ON TEARIS -- trying to remember. We accelerate
    forward, racing past the cold blue of his iris and plunging
    deep within the dark well of his pupil...
    CUT FLASH -- A MEMORY. A tiny girl, FIRIONA, looking up at
    us.
    TEARIS (V.O.)
    She was... only a baby when I left her.
    She has blue eyes, and golden hair...
    SMASH CUT TO:
    BACK TO REALITY
    Tearis looks back at Inte.
    TEARIS
    ... Beautiful, just like her mother.
    She should be...
    Tearis holds out his hand and indicates a very short height.
    Some confusion. He raises his hand slightly higher, then
    lower. He clenches his fist, and remains silent.
    INT. CORRIDOR - MIRAGUL'S LAIR - EVENING
    At the corridor's end are massive charred iron doors, 16 feet
    tall. A pair of drop-dead gorgeous curvy DARK ELF WOMEN in
    white robes stand before them, staring enigmatically with red
    eyes. The smoke wreathing them SWIRLS back through the doors
    like REVERSE TIME-LAPSE.
    Inte raises his sword. The two women EXPLODE into clouds,
    and vanish with the smoke. The company follows into --
    INT. MIRAGUL'S LAIR - EVENING
    A LOW ANGLE, orbiting a strange inverted "lightning rod"
    suspended dead center in the circular chamber. SEVEN
    LORESTONES, large magical crystals suspended in air, surround
    the chamber, with crackling energy ARCING towards the rod.
    At the mountain peak above, through the glass skylight,
    turbulent clouds simmer menacingly.
    Sculptured ceiling "ribs" curve outwards, forming cabalistic
    pillars lining the room, MALEFIC CHANTING O.S.
    A wick is lit by one of several CLOAKED HERETICS milling
    around the room. An ANCIENT NECRONOMICON with a sculpted
    cover rests open on a wooden podium. The LEAD HERETIC waves
    WITHERED, CLAWED HANDS over the pages, which look remarkably
    like parchment human skin.
    LEAD HERETIC
    "In Poltis, requiem... Omenae..."
    A HIGH ROTATING ANGLE, away from the Lead Heretic to the
    ancient stone floor -- a mosaic of demonic depictions
    surrounding a single ARCANE RUNE. As we CIRCLE OVER the
    floor, we see the images one after another: An image of a
    goat-man attacking an Elven Women. Another with a dwarf,
    grasping at gems. His eyes are rolled up in their sockets.
    His face does not show glee, but one of madness. And more,
    sacrifice, murder, so on --
    Inte and his group slide through the doors, into the chamber.
    They approach towards the center. The air shimmers, as if
    they've passed through an invisible field of some kind.
    The Heretics stop, all stare at the intruders.
    TEARIS
    The necromancer.
    At the opposite end of the chamber -- above a raised dais
    surrounded by hundreds of candles, about 5 feet off the
    ground -- floats a MAN. Crunched into a fetal position, he
    is naked. Tautly muscled. Horrifying enough, he has no
    skin. Just tightly packed flesh and sinews over his frame.
    INTE
    Miragul... betrayer of Erudin.
    THE DOORS SLAM SHUT behind them, the candle lights
    extinguishing. The chamber becoming wreathed in the darkest
    shadows imaginable. The rod apparatus itself throws dancing
    shadows on the faces of the Company. A woman's laughter,
    perhaps from one of the women we saw at the doors, ECHOES
    icily, O.S.
    MARKUS
    Time is short.
    INTE
    Prepare your spell, Markus. Draw the
    comet. We will protect you.
    Markus nods, opens up his grimoire once more. He starts to
    recite an INCANTATION. His finger traces arcane runes on the
    page.
    Tearis draws his Elvish longsword from his belt, points at
    the heretics.
    TEARIS
    Yield the necromancer to us!
    ON MIRAGUL as he uncoils himself. His eyes SNAP OPEN
    instantly, unleashing a BELLOW OF RAGE. The eyes burn with
    intense GREEN FIRE.
    Inte leads his company for the challenge, holds the Fiery
    Avenger steady. Then, the attack --
    Behind Inte, DARK GRASPING CLAWS shoot down from above
    towards the Erudite Paladins. The Erudite Paladins break,
    but not before ERUDITE PALADIN #3 is hauled SCREAMING upward.
    The Heretics throw back their cowls TO REVEAL: FORSAKEN
    REVENANTS, creatures with oily skin, long slick hair, large
    black eyes. Fangs, CLAWS.
    The hands of Miragul FLARE LIKE XENON, charging up with
    magical energy. He unleashes twin BRIGHT BEAMS with his
    fists at the company.
    INTE
    Paladins! Link shields!
    Moving speed personified, the Erudite Paladins reassemble in
    front of the company into a line, bringing their golden
    shields around. They form A WALL OF STEEL.
    The beams COLLIDE dead-on, and explode into a BILLION LIGHT
    PARTICLES. The Erudite Paladins are untouched. That same
    instant, the disemboweled corpse falls in front of them.
    Erudite Paladin #3 drops out of the shadows with a meaty
    THUMP.
    The Revenants SCREECH, charge like frenzied animals. They
    SLAM into the Erudite Paladins at full speed.
    Battle unfolds in the darkness. SCREAMS human and inhuman.
    The Companions slash ruthlessly with their weapons -- slicing
    a path of sheer destruction throough the Revenants towards
    Miragul -- but the Revenants fight with equal brutality --
    they pull and SLASH with their claws.
    Inte's eyes burn with a zealous fire as he fights. He swings
    his sword with expert efficiency, spinning, cleaving
    Revenants in two.
    All this while, Markus is working on his incantation.
    MARKUS
    "To-ar... meloKos... Numara..."
    The clouds above the chamber spiral VIOLENTLY, RUMBLING
    LOUDER. Then --
    Something lands nearby Markus, one of the Dark Elven women,
    on all fours like some predatory animal. Her face morphs
    into a preternatural snarl. Her canines extend, tapering to
    razor-sharp points. Her tongue flicks, lizard-like as
    fingernails sharpen into claws. Her eyes BLEED RED, pupils
    oscillating hypnotically. A VAMPIRE.
    Markus notices, backpedals, but continues his incantation.
    What a brave soul. Inte spins to him just as the vampire
    prepares to leap on her feast and --
    INTE
    Be gone, foul spawn!
    SWINGS his sword in a fiery arc -- A SPEAR OF FLAME erupts
    from the tip -- PUNCHING straight through the vampire's body
    like some javelin. The vampire is thrown off her feet,
    SMASHES into the wall from the force.
    Markus nods a nervous thanks, continues his reading.
    Tearis and TWO ERUDITE PALADINS break from battle, charge
    Miragul at the dais. Several FLESHY TENTACLES explode from
    Miragul's body. The fleshy mass IMPALES the two Erudite
    Paladins through the armor like beef on skewers. Tearis
    raises his shield in time, but the impact sends him
    sprawling...
    The tentacles retract. The Erudite Paladins drop dead to the
    floor.
    ORION lunges with his sword, but Miragul shoots out his arm,
    palming his face with his hand.
    Fingers tighten. Skin SIZZLES from under. Orion SCREAMS as
    his body shrivel to a desiccated husk under the steel armor.
    Tearis looks horrified. Miragul tosses the body aside, steps
    toward him. Another pseudopod hurtles for Reklon, who cries
    out --
    But suddenly Inte is there, parries with his blade. The
    tentacle hits the holy sword and RIVES into ice, showering
    the chamber floor.
    INTE
    Markus!
    ON MARKUS
    his face sweats profusely as the incantation rises to a
    fever-pitch.
    EXT. DEEP SPACE
    The blue planet of Norrath is in view. The ice comet fills
    the screen.
    INT. MIRAGUL'S LAIR - EVENING
    Inte lunges for Miragul, slashing aside the tentacles, and --
    slams forward with incredible strength, driving the Fiery
    Avenger into Miragul's chest... but only half way. Miragul
    ROARS in pain, WHIPS OUT his arms with superhuman force,
    knocking Inte away.
    The surviving Erudite Paladins finish their grisly battle
    look up to watch --
    Inte jumps back on Miragul. He grasps the hilt of the Fiery
    Avenger and drives it clear through the heart and spine of
    Miragul, twisting it. Miragul SHRIEKS like some feral animal
    --
    Then drops to his knees, falls back lifeless. The blade at
    the other end keeps him from falling flat on his back. That
    same instant, the shadows of the room seem to alter... flow.
    A moving liquid mass from every corner that pours towards the
    fallen necromancer, entering the corpse's mouth and nostrils.
    The chamber brightens, until --
    There are no more shadows in the room. A BEAT, then --
    Inte looks away to --
    THE LORESTONES. Disturbingly, the crystals begin MOVING ON
    THEIR OWN VOLITION... spinning in a frenzy, floating higher
    and higher. The Paladins register surprise and trepidation
    as the energy arcs ACCELERATE and ACCELERATE around the rod
    and --
    EXT. MOUNTAIN PEAK - NIGHT
    The heavens are RENT ASUNDER by a MIGHTY CRACK, a bolt of
    LIGHTNING SLASHING DOWN to COURSE through the skylight, and -
    -
    INT. MIRAGUL'S LAIR - NIGHT
    TRANSFORMS from the rod-tip into SEARING POINTS OF ENERGY
    that shoot down into the symbols of the floor, and race
    around the carved gullies like a circuit board ELECTRON
    DANCE. Completed, blinding light SHOOT UP from the circle --
    DARK VOICE
    Foolish mortals... do not task me!
    INTE
    The portal to Hate is opening. Hurry,
    Markus!
    


End file.
